Nagurumi Castle

The castle was significantly restored for the 2016 Taiga Drama Sanadamaru. The the wooden palisades were built, earthen embankments restored, and many new signs added to make this a most enjoyable site to visit in Gunma. It can easily be combined with nearby Ogawa Castle, Numata Castle, [[Sh

History

Originally a fortification on this site was built by the Numata in defense of Numata Castle. The present fortifications date to Sanada Masayuki who fortified them to launch his attacks on Numata Castle. As an ally of the Takeda, Sanada Masayuki took control of the area by taking Iwabitsu Castle, Nagurumi Castle and finally Numata Castle in 1580. This area was heavily disputed between the Sanada and the Hojo until 1589 when Hideyoshi ended hostilities by giving the area, including Nagurumi Castle, to Sanada and the remainder to the Hojo. This decision did not sit well with the Hojo commander Inomata Kuninori who attacked and took Nagurumi Castle in late 1589. This was the famous spark that set off Hideyoshi's campaign to end the Hojo. Hideyoshi defetaed the Hojo the following year (1590) thus unifying all Japan. The Sanada were given Numata castle and Nagurumi was abandoned.

Field Notes

The castle was significantly restored for the 2016 Taiga Drama Sanadamaru. The the wooden palisades were built, earthen embankments restored, and many new signs added to make this a most enjoyable site to visit in Gunma. It can easily be combined with nearby Ogawa Castle, Numata Castle, Shiroi Castle. Nagurumi Castle is built atop a steep mountain overlooking the Tone River. Across the river and about 5km away is Numata Castle. If you were to attack Nagurumi Castle from Numata or across the river it would be almost unassailable given the steep cliffs protecting it. However, from the opposite side, the castle is actually more like a flatland castle. If you visit the castle I recommend you pay attention to this unique aspect too. It's also interesting that Numata Castle is built atop a mountain across the other side of the river. I can just imagine the rivals looking out over the Tone River valley at each other.

I biked from the Jomokogen Shinkansen Station to Nagurumi Castle and then on to Numata Castle. You could also walk from the Jomokogen shinkansen stop. It's just a few minutes more walking but it's mostly flat and would allow you to stop by Ogawa Castle along the way. As a Shinkansen stop there are also several taxis waiting that could take you to Nagurumi Castle to save time too. The visitor center has a diorama and several good maps of the castle and brochures for nearby castles and historical sites.

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Castle Profile
English Name	Nagurumi Castle
Japanese Name	名胡桃城
Founder	Numata Kagefuyu
Year Founded	around 1492-1501
Castle Type	Mountaintop
Castle Condition	Ruins only
Designations	Next 100 Castles, Prefectural Historic Site
Historical Period	Pre Edo Period
Features	trenches
Visitor Information
Access	Gokan Sta. (Joetsu Line); 40 min walk
Hours	Park, open any time; visitor center open 9:00-16:00, closed Dec. 29 - Jan. 3
Time Required	45 mins
URL	Castle Website
Location	Minakami, Gunma Prefecture
Coordinates	36.6692, 138.99085
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Admin
Added to Jcastle	2013
Contributor	Eric
Admin Year Visited	2013, 2021
Admin Visits	Apr 29, 2013; Jun 13, 2021
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